Pioneers’ coach optimistic about turnaround after winless season

By SKIP LEON Herald Sports Editor

Published 12:37 pm, Saturday, July 12, 2014

Photo: Plainview Herald File Photo

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There are many reasons for optimism as the Wayland Baptist University football program heads into its fourth year. Former Plainview High School standout Jacob King returns for his second season as a starter at offensive tackle. He is one of nine starters returning on offense less

There are many reasons for optimism as the Wayland Baptist University football program heads into its fourth year. Former Plainview High School standout Jacob King returns for his second season as a starter at ... more

Photo: Plainview Herald File Photo

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Middle linebacker Jon-Lucas Poe was an all-Central States Football Conference first team selection last season and led the conference in tackles. He is one of 10 returning starters for the defense.

Middle linebacker Jon-Lucas Poe was an all-Central States Football Conference first team selection last season and led the conference in tackles. He is one of 10 returning starters for the defense.

Photo: Plainview Herald File Photo

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Anthony Campuzano, shown warming up during a game last year, has reclaimed the starting quarterback job for Wayland Baptist entering the 2014 season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder was one of four quarterbacks employed by the Pioneers last season after being the starter in 2012. less

Anthony Campuzano, shown warming up during a game last year, has reclaimed the starting quarterback job for Wayland Baptist entering the 2014 season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder was one of four quarterbacks ... more

Photo: Plainview Herald File Photo

Pioneers’ coach optimistic about turnaround after winless season

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The hallway leading to Wayland Baptist University football coach Butch Henderson’s office in the Wheeler Building is lined with large photos from Pioneers games. One shows a receiver laying out in the air to make a diving catch. The receiver is Chris Acosta, who has been with the football program since its inception.

The WBU football program will enter its fourth year in existence and third year playing competitively.

Acosta led Wayland in receptions and yards receiving last year and is one of many reasons Henderson is optimistic his team can turn around last year’s 0-10 campaign and make a run at the Central States Football League (CSFL) championship.

With 10 starters returning on defense and nine on offense, Henderson believes his team can win the CSFL title this season. The key, he said, will be for the Pioneers to get off to a strong start after last year’s winless campaign.

“The expectation is that we can win a conference championship,” Henderson said. “That is really built on the idea that we get that success early. I think we’ve got to win early. We played everybody strong last year. But we did not win. And that’s the thing we’ve got to find. You start winning and it carries itself. You need that success. We need to get that momentum rolling before we get into conference play.”

The number of returning starters combined with a strong recruiting class are reasons for optimism.

“Not many people are going to come in and tell you we’ve got nine starters returning on one side of the ball and 10 on the other side,” Henderson said.

King, a former Plainview High School standout, earned a starting job as a freshman last year.

“Jacob came in and had a great summer and preseason last year,” Henderson said. “We got a couple of injuries and he moved right in and started the whole year. He started 10 ballgames for us.”

Skill players returning include quarterback Anthony Campuzano, who was the starter two years ago. Last year he was among four quarterbacks who played for the Pioneers. He played sparingly in six games, completing 15-of-54 passes for 248 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions.

As a freshman, Campuzano completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,089 yards and four touchdowns. He will be a key in Wayland’s offense, which Henderson describes as “a form of the spread.”

“We use a tight end a bunch in it,” Henderson said. “But you’re always going to have three wide receivers, a tight end, a running back and a quarterback. We’re going to take the ball in a shotgun every time. What we’re going to do is really try to throw the football. We use a controlled, short passing game. If people move out of the box, then we run the football.”

Wayland’s top returning receivers are Acosta and Josh Bailey, who both have been with the program since it began. Acosta led the team with 36 receptions for 478 yards last season. Bailey, the slot receiver, caught 15 passes for 130 yards and just missed earning Academic All-America honors.

The running back will be transfer Evan Hearn, a former Plainview High School standout with one year of college eligibility left. Henderson expects big things from him.

“He came in and really had a tremendous spring,” Henderson said. “Evan has one year of eligibility left and he will be that starting running back. He’s a great leader, a great young man.”

Henderson said Hearn is a strong all-around back who does more than run the ball well.

“He’s probably the best I’ve ever seen at being able to pick up blitzes as a back and be able to help your offensive linemen,” Henderson said. “He’s probably one of the most unselfish football players I’ve been around. It’s really about what the team can do and how he can help them. He’s really helped unite our offense very, very well.”

Defensively, Wayland runs a 4-3 alignment, with four down linemen and three linebackers.

“We’re a base 4-3 defense,” Henderson said. “There are so many things you’ve got to face today. You slide that front and make it look different every time, but 4-3 is our base. Our base all comes from that idea of having that middle linebacker and funneling everything to that middle linebacker and four in the secondary in support behind that.”

The Pioneers’ middle linebacker is a good one. Junior Jon-Lucas Poe was a first team all-conference selection. The 6-foot, 205-pounder led the conference with 114 tackles, which included 10½ tackles for loss and two sacks.

“He leads us real well,” Henderson said. “He’s a great tackler, he moves well. He anchors the middle down well for us.”

The outside linebackers are Alden Mann on one side and Blair Magee on the other side. Quinton Shafer also sees playing time at outside linebacker. Henderson refers to Mann as “our buzsaw, the guy that’s everywhere.”

The defensive line features returnees Holt Henderson at end and Nate Askins at tackle. Henderson led the team with 4½ sacks and had 10 tackles for loss.

The safeties are Travis White, who led the team with three interceptions last year, and David Hockenberry, who had two interceptions and was third on the team with 74 tackles. The cornerbacks are Josh Paul, who intercepted two passes last season, and Brandon Shepherd.

The Pioneers also have an all-conference punter returning in Josh Houghtaling, who averaged 47.8 yards on 24 punts.

Butch Henderson said the offseason program has gone well for the Pioneers.

“The physical part of the offseason, we really made great strides in increasing our strength and being able to increase our speed and our movement,” Henderson said. “Having kids who have been in the program four years and have been here and done this now for four years helped us make a jump fast.”

Henderson increased the amount of contact and live game situational work during the spring season. That was designed to help his team learn to finish games, which they had trouble with last year.

“We had more contact and more live than we have gone in the past simply because we felt like we played everybody close last fall, but we’ve got to find a way to come out and win and be able to make those things happen,” Henderson said. “And we felt like we were going to have to do it in a live situation.”

Henderson put the Pioneers in game situations during the spring.

“When you’ve got the conference champion and you’re down by four late in the fourth quarter and have the football and all you’ve got to do is score and you’ll win, we’ve got to be able to come through and do that,” Henderson said.

Henderson said the strength of his team is the experience and maturity throughout the roster. The players have been through a baptism by fire in which they had to play right away in their college careers. But that fire has melded them into a strong unit, Henderson said.

“I think the strength is that you’ve got a group of young men that have been here together,” the coach said. “These guys have matured faster than others because they’ve had to. Usually, you kind of watch your freshmen and sophomore years and start playing some as a junior and senior. These guys have had to learn through that freshmen and sophomore year playing against people. I think that part of the experience is really going to pay dividends.”

The coach said last year’s winless season took a toll on the coaches and players. But on the positive side, it also helped build character and a strong bond among the Pioneers.

“There’s a high level of frustration when you go 0-10,” Henderson said. “That was a new experience for me. That was really a new experience for a lot of our players. The frustration is what you want them to feel. You don’t want them to be satisfied. Then you don’t have the expectations you need. We expected to be able to win. We expect to be able to win this year coming in.”

Some players left the program after the winless season. But the ones who stayed have gained strength.

“Some left us through that frustration level,” Henderson said. “But the ones that bonded and held that together are kind of that crossover generation group. They’ve bonded together. They’ve walked through the desert. They’re the ones that believe you can do it. They’ve stayed with us to be able to get it done and get this started. There’s a deeper bond than there would be in a lot of places. And all that really came out of, especially, last year.”

As for the CSFL this year, Henderson said the teams to beat are probably Langston University and Southwest Assemblies of God University, which tied for the title last year. He added that Bacone College, which finished right behind the top two schools, also should be in the mix. The coach also expects tussles from Oklahoma Baptist University and Texas College.

The Pioneers played teams close in the conference. They lost by seven points to both Texas College and Bacone and by five points to Southwestern Assemblies of God.

Don’t count out Wayland Baptist this year, Henderson said.

“We think we’re going to win it,” he said. “We have expectations we can do it. We feel like we’re there with all those people. We’re nip and tuck with them. We’ve just got to find a way to win.”

Players will report to the college Aug. 8 and 9 and practice begins Aug. 10. The Pioneers open their season Aug. 30 at Arizona Christian in Phoenix. Their home opener is Sept. 6 against Western State Colorado.